Ursa Major has successfully hot-fire tested the latest variant of its Hadley liquid rocket engine for the first time.
The engine, which is flight-proven, has recently undergone a series of design improvements, with the company also updating the engine's manufacturing processes.
Major components have been in-sourced as a result of Ursa Major's 'strategic vertical integration' of additive manufacturing technology, ensuring a more 'streamlined and cost-efficient' workflow. Around 80% of the engine's components are said to have been 3D printed.
Hadley H13 is described as a mission-upgraded variant of the Hadley H11 engine, which has been designed for hypersonic applications. H13 increases engine reusability and improves overall engine performance compared to previous Hadley variants and is intentionally designed to fly in a variety of hypersonic and launch applications.
Sam Davies
The engine uses new materials to improve performance and increase engine life, with Ursa Major believing that it is the lowest-cost-per-flight and highest-performing engine its has developed to date.
“Hadley is Ursa Major’s foundational engine that has already flown hypersonic several times,” said Chris Spagnoletti, CEO at Ursa Major. “With new materials and manufacturing, H13 can be reused more than twice as many times as previous variants, driving down the cost per flight while supporting new test objectives and mission profiles.”
Hadley is a liquid rocket engine powering hypersonic and small launch missions, delivering 5,000 lbf of sea-level thrust, and up to 6,500 lbf in its vacuum variant. It runs on liquid oxygen (LOX) and kerosene using an oxygen-rich staged combustion cycle for exceptional performance. Hadley is said to be the first American-made propulsion engine of its kind to reach sustained Mach 5+ speeds and return, flying successfully with Stratolaunch’s Talon-A vehicle.
